Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it EBENEZER, saying, ‘thus far the Lord has helped us’! 1 Sam. 7:12

We probably couldn’t describe this moment in time any better than this! At a time when Israel was at peace with their God, when they had found favour in His eyes, enemies yet surrounded them and attacked. But God thundered and threw them into panic, allowing the Israelites a glorious moment of triumph. To mark the occasion, Samuel did more than praise with his mouth, more than an offering – he erected a stone, a monument to the moment! So when his grandson or great-grandson walked past the stone monument generations later, the story would be retold and God’s glory revealed over and over again.

On March 16, 2009 we officially opened the double storey school block of Cornelius Hope Academy Primary School! Our student body has expanded from an initial 19 students in 2007 to 343 students today! Despite the instability we have lived in past years, we have a monument that will attest to God’s triumph over the situation for generations to come!

Even today, many schools across Zimbabwe have not opened because of a lack of teachers and disputes over their level of pay. And yet C.H.A.P.S. opened on January 27th for 343 local students – 200 of them on sponsorship! The Village of Hope is busier than ever! In a depressed society, the Village of Hope is a beacon of life and activity. Hundreds of children are being fed, clothed and educated.

We have been encouraged as we watch those children that have been chosen for sponsorship begin to excel in academics, leadership capabilities, english or sports. God truly made us all one heart as we looked through their profiles and prayed over each one. We truly believe that the sky is the limit for our kids!

NEW LIFE

Another exciting moment happened at the end of February, as several of our new children knelt at the altar to ask Jesus Christ into their heart and begin a new life in Him! It’s why we serve at the Village of Hope! If we’ve lost them for eternity – what have we gained through food and education? The push is on to train all our teachers in teaching Christ and salvation in the classroom daily.

The Zim economy and CHAPS has kept us hopping this past month. Our new addition – Fatima – is settling in well. Our construction crew, after a few more ‘tweeks’ on the double storey, will move on to finishing the 3rd Children’s Home. Then we can get our 3rd housemom and her 4 children moved and settled into a home of their own – at last!

CHANGE OF EMAIL ADDRESSES

Please note that effective immediately, we have 3 new email addresses! Our ZOL (zimbabwe on line) will continue to operate for now, and be forwarded to the new email address. Please use the new addresses below, as ZOL continues to experience server and technical problems that are causing a slowdown, and sometimes a complete stop, in us sending or receiving emails.

To reach Gord & Anita – gacooledge@vohzimbabwe.com

PRAISE & PRAYERS

- We praise God for Blessing and her health (pictured left). She was hit by a car just 3 weeks ago and suffered a broken leg. We thank the CCP office for covering most of her medical expenses!

- We are thankful for the teams that have visited us over this last year. The donations, the pouring of themselves into children’s lives, the encouragement along the way – your visit has meant so much to the Village of Hope and to us personally.

- We thank God for continuing to ‘make a way where there seems to be none’.

- Please pray for the safety of our family as ‘smash & grabs’ and violent thefts are increasing. Thiefs know that those that have cars, probably carry US cash as well.

- Please continue to pray for the righting of the economy. Things still make little sense in that salaries don’t match the price of items available on the shelves. But without the manufacturing, farming and mining sectors running smoothly again, there are few jobs and no money to spend for a majority of the population.

- Please pray for our new children at CHAPS as they settle in.